She added: “The octopus’s biggest problem is the fact that it doesn’t have a skeleton. It is classed as a mollusc, many of which are shellfish. For many cultures they are a food item to be harvested from the sea, and getting people to think of them in the same category as intelligent mammals will be a challenge.” The fact they live in an alien environment and breathe water makes it difficult to empathise with octopuses, Mrs Perkins said.

She added: “Any aquarist who has worked with octopuses will tell you they not only think – they are all individuals.

“They can sulk, they get angry and turn their darkest colour and jet about their display in a strop, and you always know when they’re really happy.”

Weymouth visitors will be asked to sign a pledge not to eat octopus.

Mrs Perkins said: “An octopus should excite fascination in humans, rather than their appetites.”